One of the more challenging aspects of this year-long cook-a-thon was that we weren’t able to change the order of the recipes – Deborah was clear – cook your way through the book in order . . . it mattered not if artichokes weren’t in season . . . cook them. One learned quickly to not mess with the rules, ’twas a subject not to be broached . . . not unlike politics or the best manner in which to cook Melanzane alla Parmigiana in Italy.
Through the power of technology we found a way around this though – we could cook ahead and post on the appropriate date. By doing this we were able to post on the blog in the same order the recipes appeared in the book and still were able to cook with the freshest ingredients.
I’m sure Marcella would approve of us only wanting to use the freshest ingredients possible.
One of my recipes was an artichoke frittata but I was scheduled to post it on August 21. Guess what the quality of the artichokes I might find then would be like. EWWWW Artichokes are a wonderful springish vegetable. I made my frittata in May using nice fresh artichokes and am posting it in August to keep Deborah from hunting me down.
See. Everyone is happy!
I’ve eaten many frittatas over the years – in fact, when I make an omelet it is more like a frittata than a traditional omelet. I don’t flip them, fold them, or do any of those things that one does when one is making an omelet. Rather, I dump the eggs in the hot pan, let them set, and then put it in the oven until cooked through. It turns out that this is Marcella’s technique as well.
Well, Marcella’s technique is far more poetic than that but that is why she earns a living writing cook books and I merely eat my way through cook books.
The most complex part of this dish is preparing the artichokes. Good heavens, they are a devil to clean, trim, and prepare. Hazan provides detailed instructions on p.p. 57 – 59 and reminds you to be sure to rub the cut areas with fresh lemon so that the surfaces don’t get discoloured. As with all of Marcella’s detailed instructions – they work – the woman clearly knows her techniques. Thank goodness she has written them so well so that we home cooks can learn them as well.
Once the artichokes are prepared for cooking the dish comes together quickly. In fact, I was having it for breakfast and I didn’t have a chance to get my toast ready before the frittata was done. Speedy.
This was an amazing frittata – who knew that a frittata would be such a successful vehicle for artichokes? Of course, we North American cooks would be tempted to add more vegetables and dump on cups of cheese. Don’t! Let the tender fresh artichokes, at the peak of their game, speak for themselves. You won’t regret it.